"Hunger catastrophe in South Sudan: Corruption, funding reductions, and violence exacerbate a situation where children's lives are at stake"
In South Sudan, a triple threat of malnutrition, violence, and flooding has put millions of lives at risk. According to reports, over 60 percent of the population defecates in the open, a practice that poses a major health threat, especially during the flooding season.
The violence in South Sudan's northern states has displaced hundreds of thousands from their farmland and hindered aid delivery. This, coupled with funding cuts, has forced organizations like Mission 21 and Save the Children to lay off staff, including nutrition workers, and impacted the availability of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF).
The situation is dire, with malnutrition levels being the highest in Upper Nile State, where violence has resurged, causing a lack of supplies for over a month in May. Adut Duor, a 14-month-old boy from South Sudan, is one of the many victims of this crisis. He is suffering from severe malnutrition, with his spine protruding and legs dangling like sticks. His mother, Ayan, cannot breastfeed him due to her own malnutrition, sharing this struggle with 1.1 million pregnant and lactating women in South Sudan.
The World Food Program's regional emergency coordinator, Shaun Hughes, has stated that malnutrition in South Sudan is not just about food insecurity, but is compounded by cholera outbreaks, malaria, and poor sanitation. The flooded water, contaminated by open defecation, poses a major health threat.
The renewed clashes between the national army and militia groups in South Sudan raise fears of a return to large-scale conflict. Critics argue that years of aid dependence have exposed South Sudan, with the government allocating only 1.3 percent of its budget to health, far below the 15 percent target set by the World Health Organization.
The United Nations-backed report predicts that about 2.3 million children under 5 in South Sudan require treatment for acute malnutrition, with over 700,000 in severe condition. The situation in South Sudan is critical and urgent action is needed to address this humanitarian crisis.
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